Hiking the Peak, Celebrating Easter, Eating at Our Favorite Restaurants, and Bidding Our Guests Adieu

Our busy days with Michael's parents continued after we returned from Thailand.  Feeling nice and toasty from the sun and pool and surf and snorkeling, we came back to a surprisingly beautiful Hong Kong, full of blue skies, bright sunshine and not a hint of humidity.  These are the days to be treasured!

We kicked off our Saturday morning with some very rewarding shopping (sportscoat for Michael's dad,  earrings for Michael's mom, and various goods and sundry for Michael's brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews) in the stores and markets in Central and TST.

Stunning!

Then, not wanting to waste our good fortune, we set out for the Peak, and were rewarded with beautiful views of Kowloon, Hong Kong Island, and all of Victoria Harbor.  First we saw the south side of the island - sleepy islands and boats, a reservoir,

 and the beautiful power plant of Lamma in the distance (yikes).

 Then we swung around to the front for the money shots.

 Mandatory selfie.

 We took a walk on Lugard Road.  It was one of the busiest days I've seen the path -- clearly everyone was keen to glimpse the views on a beautiful clear day!

After a week of dim sum, seafood, curry and Thai and Chinese delicacies, we figured that it was high time to switch cuisines.  We gorged ourselves at one of our favorite restaurant in town, Posto Pubblico, ordering spicy clams, deep fried calamari,

 their fresh made-to-order mozzarella,

and a variety of pasta dishes.  Everything was photographed under a heat lamp so I'm afraid it all has a bit of an otherworldly, eerie orange glow.  We ordered our favorite bottle of chianti classico (which I learned is only authentic if it has a black cockerel on the label), which tasted even smoother and lighter than I remembered.

The next morning, we headed to St. Joseph's church for Easter mass.  There were so many people that we had to stand in line despite arriving fifteen minutes before mass began.

Masses at mass.

 Everywhere you looked, there were so many people!  Many of the church attendees, particularly at this location, are Filipinas, belonging to the domestic helper community.  Michael and his dad stood heads and shoulders taller than everyone else.

After mass, we strolled up the hill to San Xi Lou for hotpot (how covenient).  Can you tell we were doing a tour of some of my favorite foods? 

 Michael's mom loves spice as much as me and I love her for it.  She understands the need for a (spice) fix.

After the meal, we strolled through the zoo, ostensibly to see some animals but also to try to walk off our nap-inducing meal.  We saw flamingos, red tipped cranes, and lots of various baboons and monkeys, including one very big and very old orangutan.

On Sunday night, we decided that we needed a lighter meal, and made our own salad and cheese spread and ate dinner in our new apartment.

Michael's mom knows how much I love flowers and she insisted on purchasing for me a big bouquet of flowers of my own choosing.  We went to the Sai Ying Pun markets while shopping for dinner and got this beautiful bouquet, as well as a mint plant and a basil plant that I will plant in planters on our kitchen balcony.  How sweet and kind is that!

We have loved having our visitors and, after they left for the airport bright and early on Monday morning, Michael and I both felt a bit bereft, missing our guests and the hustle and bustle of showing them the sights.  We are so happy that they were able to come visit us and get a glimpse of our lives and how we live!